There's always another way
by montypython203
Summary: Post Doomsday. Crossover with Parallax. Rose meets two people who know all about travel between parallel universes.
1. Chapter 1

_Title: There's always another way  
_

_Rating: K+_

_Summary: Post Doomsday. Crossover with Parallax. Rose meets two people who know all about travel between parallel universes._

_Disclaimer: Don't own Doctor Who or Parallax._

_Author's Note: Yes, this is another reunion fic. But I started it ages ago and just couldn't be bothered to type it out until now. Give it a chance. And don't worry if you haven't seen Parallax, I'll explain it._

**There's always another way  
**

Rose had just finished work at Torchwood. Interesting as it was looking at alien artefacts and things, it wasn't the same as being out there, experiencing it for real. Now she was home, watching TV.

"Rose? Are you in here?" asked Mickey from the doorway.

"Yeah," replied Rose. Mickey walked in.

"How was work?" he asked.

"Oh, fine," said Rose. "Sorry, but I'm trying to watch my show."

"What is it?" asked Mickey, taking a seat.

"Parallax," answered Rose. "It's about these two kids from parallel universes. They find out that they're brother and sister and their mum's a Guardian of the Parallax, which is like all the parallel universes. They have heaps of adventures and stuff."

"And you watch this because…?" said Mickey.

"Mystery, adventure, humour …" said Rose.

"Right, and nothing to do with the fact that they're doing something you'd give anything to do," said Mickey sarcastically. "You really need to get over it Rose." Rose turned to Mickey, a serious look on her face.

"Maybe I would get over it if it wasn't brought into every conversation," she said sternly. She then turned back to the TV.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ben and Katherine were exploring a section of the forest world they hadn't been to before. Katherine noticed a tree with a drawing of a 6 petal flower on it, which was the symbol for a pathway to another universe.

"Ben! Look at this!" she exclaimed.

"Whoa!" said Ben. "Another portal! I wonder where this one leads to?"

"We can't just go wandering into a universe we don't know about," said Katherine. "Let's find Mum and asked her."

"Where's your sense of adventure?" asked Ben, who walked past the tree and disappeared out of sight, into the other universe. Katherine sighed and followed him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Where'd they go?" asked Mickey.

"They're in another universe now," explained Rose.

"Okay, so why isn't it showing it?" said Mickey. For the TV screen showed the area the kids had disappeared from, but not where they were now.

"Good question," admitted Rose. Suddenly they heard a noise coming from Rose's room.

"What was that?" whispered Mickey.

"How should I know?" said Rose, slowly standing up. She and Mickey walked to her room, Mickey carrying a chair, just in case. Rose opened the door to her room. The sound was coming from inside her wardrobe. She put her hand on the doorknob, opened the door and gasped.

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_Cliffhanger!... but it's pretty darn obvious who's gonna be inside the wardrobe. What do you think so far?_


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you to all my reviewers. I love that you're reviewing, even though you don't know what Parallax is. I'm sure not many people have seen this Aussie kids show, but I just had to use it!_

"Oh my god," Rose breathed. Standing in front of her was Ben and Katherine.

"Hey, thanks for letting us out," said Katherine. "Um, we weren't breaking in or anything."

"But … you're Ben and Katherine," said Rose.

"How do you know our n-" began Katherine, but Ben pulled her aside.

"She might know parallel versions of us," he said.

"We don't exist in any other universe, remember?" said Katherine. "That's what makes us special."

"Oh yeah," said Ben. "So how does she know our names?"

"I was just about to find that out," reminded Katherine, turning back to Rose and Mickey, who was lowering the chair he was holding.

"How do you know our names?" Katherine said again.

"Er, you see, in this universe your lives are a TV show," said Rose.

"Seriously?" said Ben.

"I'll show you," said Rose. Everyone followed Rose back to the lounge room. The TV screen had a picture on it saying there were technical difficulties. Rose picked up the TV guide and pointed to the spot where it read _5:30 – Parallax._

"Oh my god," said Katherine. "Well, I guess that explains why our lives are so weird."

"Well, not quite," said Rose. "I mean, I used to travel through time and space with a 900 year old alien in a big blue box, and my life isn't a TV show."

"Or is it?" said Mickey, but no one was listening to him.

"Whoa," said Ben. "How come you don't anymore?" Rose went silent.

"Oh," said Katherine. "Well, it was nice meeting you, but we should be on our way." Katherine grabbed Ben and headed towards Rose's bedroom.

"Wait!" exclaimed Rose. "Maybe you can help me." Katherine turned around.

"I'm listening," she said.

"I was born in a parallel universe," said Rose. "I lived there for the first 19 years of my life. Then some time after I started travelling, we were transported into this universe by accident. We got back, but a couple of months later there was this bug alien battle, and my family and I were trapped here, with no way of getting back."

"Crap," said Ben. "And the alien wasn't trapped with you?"

"No," said Rose. "And I'd do anything to get back to him." Katherine wiped a tear from her eye.

"That's so sad," she said. "The thing is, we're teenage kids. We barely know anything about the Parallax. Maybe our mum could help you."

"I guess so," said Rose. "Except … children have more power than adults. Their imagination, combined with brain power, has the potential the unlock the secrets of the universe."

"Oh yeah," said Mickey, remembering that tome with the Krillitanes. "The ships and the tin dog." Ben and Katherine looked at him.

"Long story," said Rose.

"Well …" began Katherine, "… if what you're saying is true, I'm sure we can at least try to help you." Rose smiled.

"Except," continued Katherine, "if you want brain power, Ben isn't gonna be much help."

"Hey!" said Ben.

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_I sacrificed doing my IPT assignment to type this up, so it'd be great if I had some reviews to show for it._


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you to all my reviewers. I warn you, this chapter is all dialogue, and there's quite a bit in te next one too. _

Rose was telling Ben and Katherine her story.

"And then, he disappeared," she said.

"Oh my god, that's heartbreaking!" exclaimed Katherine, taking a hanky out. Mickey nudged Ben.

"Women," he muttered. Ben nodded,

"Wow, that's an amazing story," Katherine said. "But, before we help you, are you sure this is what you want?"

"Uh, I think she's made that fairly clear over the last 20 minutes," said Ben. Rose nodded.

"Okay," said Katherine. "Well as you know, the sign for a portal looks like a flower with 6 petals. So if we can find that somewhere in this universe, we should be able to get you back."

"Providing it leads to your original universe, of course," added Ben.

"Okay, that makes sense," said Mickey. "So does that mean in order for you guys to have gotten into this world, there must be a portal sign inside Rose's wardrobe?"

"I guess so," said Katherine. They all walked into Rose's room and looked in the wardrobe. Sure enough, in the top right hand corner, pencilled in, was a small flower.

"There you go," said Rose. "But we don't even know where to look! And if there're all that small …"

"It might be easier than you think," said Ben. "Where did you say you said goodbye to the Doctor?"

"Darlig ulv Stranden," Rose replied.

"Right, so maybe that crack in the universe was there because the pathway's somewhere around there," said Katherine. "Do you recall seeing any symbols when you were there?"

"Can't say I do," admitted Rose. "But I'm willing to go for it." Just then the door opened, and Jackie and Pete walked in.

"Hi Rose! I've just been to the hairdressers! What do you thi-" Jackie stopped as she noticed Ben and Katherine. "'Ere? Who are you then?" Rose shuffled her feet.

"Mum, Pete, this is Ben and Katherine," she said. "They're going to help me get back to the Doctor."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Sorry this is so short, but my simulator baby for Exploring Early Childhood was crying and it took 10 minutes to calm her down. I named her Romanadvoratrelundar._


	4. Chapter 4

_Another update! It's a short one, but it gets things moving. _

Rose had finally finished explaining the situation to a stunned Jackie and Pete.

"Blimey," said Pete. "So do you think this'll really work?"

"It has to," said Rose. "And if it doesn't, I'll be able to move on, knowing I've tried everything."

"Fair enough," said Jackie. "But when are you going to go? You'll have to get your affairs in order."

"What do I say to the people at work, Mum?" asked Rose. " 'It's been fun, but on the advice of some characters from a TV show I'm going back to my own universe now'?"

"Good point," said Ben. "I reckon you should just up-and-go."

"Ben, be realistic," said Katherine.

"No, he's right," said Rose. Ben smiled to himself. "It'd be a whole lot easier. Face it, I don't belong in this world. I should just leave in peace. In fact, I think I'll go now!"

"N-now?" stammered Jackie. "But, I'll miss you too much."

"Just like I miss the Doctor," said Rose. "Besides, if that portal stays open I may be able to come back and visit!" Rose looked at her parents and Mickey. They saw in her eyes that there was no way she was changing her mind.

"You'd better start packing then," said Pete. Rose smiled. She then turned to Ben and Katherine.

"Thanks so much for all your help," she said. "I expect you'll be wanting to go home now."

"Guess so," said Katherine. "It's a pity we can't see you off. And I really hope you make it through."

"Me too," said Rose. "But first you guys have got to get back to your world." Rose walked Ben and Katherine to her room, and opened the wardrobe door.

"See ya round," she said. Katherine took a deep breath and stepped through. Ben gave Rose a small wave and followed.

"Right," said Rose. "Time to pack."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Rose managed to persuade her parents that it was best she do this alone, so Pete bought her a plane ticket to Norway. When he asked Rose if she wanted a return ticket "just in case", she'd turned it down. The flight seemed to take forever. Rose spent the whole time thinking about what she was going to do when she saw the Doctor, that is, if she somehow managed to find him. Finally, the plane touched down. Rose got in a taxi and was on her way.

"Darlig ulv Stranden, please," she said.

"What are you going there for?" asked the cabbie in perfect English, but that could have just been the TARDIS translating it.

"I'm going to meet the man I love," Rose said. It was half true. As the cab pulled in, Rose took a deep breath and stepped out. The wind was whipping her, and the cold air chilled her to the bone. She walked around, looking for a sign. She approached a small pool of water. She put her bag down and looked in it. The water was clear and about a metre deep. There was a small assortment of shells and stones in it. Rose walked around the pool. There was something about it that told her she was on the right track. As she looked harder, she noticed one particular set of stones. They were arranged in a circle, very neatly done. And inside was … yes! There was no doubt about it!

"One problem though," said Rose to herself. "I'm gonna get wet. These are my favourite jeans too … but no, the Doctor's more important than all the jeans in the world." Rose dipped a finger in the water. It was icy cold. She picked up her bag, shut her eyes tight and jumped.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_I should have the next part up tomorrow. And for those if you waiting on the rest of Rose Remembers, I was finishing the next chapter at school and couldn't take it home. I'll get it up ASAP._


	5. Chapter 5

_And I'm back. This chapter has slight spoilers for The Runaway Bride (sorry). However it's been ages since I saw The Runaway Bride and couldn't be bothered watching it again on YouTube. Therefore in order for this to work it's slightly different. _

Rose emerged from the pool, not knowing whether or not it had worked. The bay looked exactly the same. She got out, sat down and took a towel out of her bag (which was waterproof), drying herself as much as she could. When she went to out the towel back, she noticed her TARDIS key sitting there. She picked it up. It was warm, and there was a faint glow about it. She then knew she was home. As she held the key, she felt a connection to the Doctor. It was somehow telling her where he was. She looked up, and noticed a car driving past. She ran up to it.

"Stop!" she yelled. The brakes screeched, and the window was wound down. A middle-aged woman was in the driver's seat.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Can you please give me a lift?" said Rose.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After another exhausting plane ride, Rose arrived in London. She found a taxi outside the airport.

"Where to?" he asked her. Rose didn't actually know the actual destination she wanted to go to, she just knew how to get there. She was being pulled there.

"I'll give you directions," she said. She closed her eyes.

"Drive down here, then turn left," she said. The cabbie did so.

"Now right," said Rose. "Now pass the lights … onto the main road … past the roundabout …"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As the car kept going, Rose felt the key getting warmer. She was getting closer. It was night by the time it was fully glowing. The car turned into a little street. Rose's eyes widened as she looked ahead. About 100 metres away was the TARDIS!

"Stop here," she said. The driver put the brakes on.

"That'll be 300 pounds," he said. Rose dug out her wallet and took the money out. It was a good thing Jackie and Pete had given her what would have been her Christmas money in advance. After paying, Rose got out of the car and started walking up to the TARDIS. She couldn't believe she'd actually found it. And a few metres in front of her was the Doctor! He was talking to a bride. She thought it'd be really sneaky if she just snuck into the TARDIS. She quietly put her key in and opened the door, glad to be home. She could only hear bits and pieces of the conversation outside**, something about **the Doctor needing to find someone. She ran over to the central console and hid behind it. She could just hear the Doctor's voice from outside.

"Her name was Rose," he said. Rose could hear the hurt in his voice.

_Not for long, _she thought happily.The Doctor entered and started up the TARDIS. Rose took a deep breath and stood up.

"Where are you off to then?" she asked. The Doctor glanced over at her, turned away, then turned back again. He gaped at her.

"R-Rose?" he stammered.

"Well who else would it be?" Rose said. The Doctor broke into a huge grin and gave Rose a big hug.

"I thought I'd never ever see you again," he whispered.

"Never say never ever," said Rose. "I told you you can't get rid of me."

"But how did you get here?" asked the Doctor. "The void was sealed."

"There's always another way," said Rose. "In my case, it was through characters from a not-well-known TV show."

"Er, right," said the Doctor. "Oh, before you tell me about that, I'd like to introduce you to someone." The Doctor took Rose's hand and opened the door of the TARDIS. They stepped outside. Donna had just reached her front door.

"Donna!" cried the Doctor. She turned to him.

"What?" she yelled.

"You know how you wanted me to find someone?" said the Doctor. "Well, I did." Rose stepped out beside him. "This is Rose Tyler! And I love her!" Rose turned to the Doctor. She couldn't believe it. He'd just declared his love for her. She turned him to face her, and leaned in to kiss him. He lowered his voice.

"Better not, the woman found out she was used by her fiancé," he said. Rose nodded. Before Donna could respond, they headed back inside the TARDIS. The Doctor took Rose in his arms and kissed her. It was brief, but it was the most pleasant moment of Rose's life.

"Now," said the Doctor. "What's this about a TV show?"

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_I think only one chapter to go now. Please review!_


	6. Chapter 6

_This is really really short. It's just the bit I'm working on now's gonna take a while, so I thought I'd give you a bite-sized portion._

"Hang on, I'm confused," said the Doctor. "Whose world has the really strict rules?"

"Katherine's, but that's not the point," said Rose. "Doctor, travel between parallel universes _is _possible! The Time Lords found a way to do it, the people in Pete's world found a very dangerous way to do it, but there's a simpler way. There are portals that connect all the universes to each other. They're shaped like 6 petalled flowers. There was one in a pool of water at Bad Wolf Bay. That's how I was able to get back." The Doctor slowly nodded his head.

"Actually …" continued Rose, "… I'd like to go back there if I could." The Doctor's mouth dropped open.

"You, you want to leave?" he stammered.

"No!" exclaimed Rose. "I just want to see Mum again, to tell her that I'm all right. To confirm that's I've found my way back to you, and that I'm happy."

"Oh," said the Doctor. "Okay. Let's do it." Rose felt the TARDIS shudder. She didn't realise how much she'd missed it.

_It's good to be home, _she thought happily.

"Okay, we're here," said the Doctor. Rose stepped out. They'd landed right next to the pool of water.

"I'll just put my foot in to start," she said. She closed her eyes and dipped her foot in. Nothing happened.

"Maybe if I just go a little bit further," she muttered. She stamped her foot down to the bottom of the pool. It stayed where it was.

"Rose," began the Doctor.

"It has to work!" cried Rose, jumping into the pool. She jumped up and down on the spot, the water splashing all over her. The Doctor got out of the TARDIS and walked up to her. He put a hand on her shoulder. She turned to him and hugged him, resting her tear-streaked face on his shoulder.

"Come on Rose," he said to her. "You're freezing. I'll make you some hot chocolate." He took off his coat and wrapped it around her. Rose sniffed and walked back to the TARDIS.

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_Hopefully the next bit will be up soon. Please review!_  



	7. Chapter 7

_Finally, we reach the end. _

"How are you feeling?" asked the Doctor.

"I'll live," replied Rose, sipping her hot chocolate from her spot on the couch. "I just don't get it. It worked fine before. And now … I'll never see Mum again." The Doctor sat down next to her and stroked her hair.

"So what are you watching?" he asked her.

"The reason I'm with you now," answered Rose. "Parallax." She turned back to the TV. Ben and Katherine were running from their evil aunt Betti. They approached a wall, and noticed it had a portal sign on it. They ran straight through it, into a universe they'd never been to before. Even worse, it didn't look very pleasant.

"Ben, let's go back," said Katherine. But when they tried to walk through the wall, they found it was solid. Rose sat up as she saw this. Just then, Betti's voice started coming from the stave Katherine was holding.

"The staves also work as walkie-talkies," Rose explained to the Doctor.

"Hello my darling niece and nephew," said Betti. "How are you?"

"What have you done to the portal, Betti?" asked Katherine.

"Me? Nothing," said Betti. "However you have stumbled through one of many one-way portals." Rose looked at the Doctor.

"That must be it," she said. "The portal I came through must only go one way. Boy, I sure hope Mum doesn't try to come through." Before the Doctor could respond, they heard a crackling sound coming from the TV.

"What the ..?" muttered the Doctor, getting up to fix it. But just then, through the static, a picture began to appear. The Doctor sat back down and watched it. Rose gasped. There, plain as day, was her mother.

"Is it on?" said Jackie from the TV.

"Uh huh," said a voice in the background, which Rose recognised as Mickey's.

"Okay," said Jackie. "Hi Rose! If you're getting this message then you've made it back to the Doctor. Well done. Um, I'd better just explain how I'm doing this. While you were packing, Pete found this device from Torchwood, which we worked out sends messages. It locks onto the TV monitor nearest to you. We planted a tracking device on you when you left, I hope you don't mind."

"She doesn't want to hear all the techno babble, Jackie," said Mickey.

"Oh, right," said Jackie. "So, you've made it back to the Doctor. Good for you. I hope he makes you happy. Actually, I know he will … just as long as you keep him away from any French tarts." The Doctor looked at Rose.

"You told her about that?" he said.

"You were gone 5 ½ hours, I had to spend the time somehow," defended Rose.

"I love you so much Rose, I'm really going to miss you," continued Jackie. "And Doctor, if you're there, you're lucky I'm not in the room with you right now, coz I'd be giving you the slapping of a lifetime! You broke my little girl's heart. You've been given a second chance with her, don't waste it." The Doctor looked at Rose.

"I won't," he said. Rose smiled at him.

"Okay, your turn Pete," said Jackie. Pete walked into the shot.

"Hello Rose," he said. "Well, what can I say? Since meeting you my life has been turned upside down. I've become involved with aliens and parallel universes. I've lost a wife, and gained a new one who is the same person, yet not. And for a brief period, I was a father. I really enjoyed spending time with you Rose, and I'm sorry it couldn't have been for longer. But if there's one thing I've learnt about you, it's that you aren't afraid to say what you believe in. I'm very proud of you, and I'm sure your real father would be too." Tears came to Rose's eyes. Pete really was a good person, and he'd been so great the way he'd tolerated everything that happened.

"You're a beautiful person with a beautiful spirit Rose," said Pete. "The Doctor's lucky to have you." The Doctor pressed a kiss to Rose's forehead as Mickey came into view.

"Hey," said Mickey. "You know, I've encountered some pretty weird stuff in the past few months, but having characters come out of a TV show? That's something 6-year-olds imagine, and then it happened! And they brought you back where you belong. How did this happen? I don't know. But over time, I've come to believe in fate. Rose, you and I weren't meant for each other. I don't even know if I was made for my original universe, as I'm quite happy here. But you were meant to stay in your universe, and make a difference in the world. You and the Doctor are meant to be together, whether that's romantically or not. And maybe you were meant to be parted so you'd realise just how much you need each other. Ben and Katherine were just a way to put things right. At least, that's what I think. But what do I know? I'm just an idiot right?" Both Rose and the Doctor giggled at this remark.

"Anyway Rose, I'd just like to say that it's been a pleasure knowing you, and I'll always love you," said Mickey. To finish off, everyone stepped into the shot and waved.

"Bye Rose!" said Jackie. She then looked down at her pregnant stomach.

"Wave to your big sister!" she said to her unborn baby, which responded with a kick. Jackie laughed.

"See ya later," said Mickey.

"Bye," said Pete. They all smiled, and then the TV went back to Parallax.

"That was beautiful," said Rose. "What did you think of it Doctor?"

"Great, yeah," said the Doctor, looking at his feet.

"What's wrong?" asked Rose.

"Nothing," said the Doctor. "It's just … how'd they get technology from a different universe to work in ours? It's impossible!" Rose sighed. The Doctor would just never be able to accept that there was always another way.

**The End**

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_Thanks for reading :)_


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